ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (OMITB)

Check out this fun series on Hulu that debuted August 31, 2021! OMITB is a comedy/mystery show created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, and the three main characters are played by Steve Martin (Charles), Martin Short (Oliver), and Selena Gomez (Mabel). Recurring roles are played by Aaron Dominguez (Oscar), Amy Ryan (Jan), Tina Fey (Cinda), Julian Cihi (Tim), and others. We are treated to special guest stars every so often, including Sting and Jimmy Fallon. The show presents flashbacks as well as flash-forwards, but it’s pretty easy to keep everything straight chronologically. What’s easy to miss, however, are the various “Easter eggs” hidden throughout, particularly in the openings, which are not exactly the same every time. The setting takes place mainly in a luxury apartment building in New York City.

The show kicks off with Charles, Oliver, and Mabel meeting on an elevator in their apartment building, and Mabel is on the phone with Tim, another resident who (we learn in subsequent episodes) was disliked by many of his neighbors. The three main characters are reunited in a coffee shop during an alarm as they sit together while waiting to be allowed back inside. It turns out that they don’t have much in common, no surprise there, but they are all big fans of a true crime podcast hosted by Cinda. When the trio returns home, they see Tim dead on the floor of his apartment. The door is open and police are investigating, with Detective Williams (played by Da’Vine Joy Randolph) ruling the death a suicide. Naturally our trio doubts that ruling and begins a podcast about what they consider to be a murder. The title comes from dickering over the name and content of the podcast, with Oliver wanting to jabber on about random things, and Charles finally announcing that it will be about ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING.

In E2, we learn that Mabel is harboring a huge, interesting secret regarding Tim, and in E3, a cloud of suspicion hovers over another neighbor, Howard (played by Michael Cyril Creighton), whose cat left bloody pawprints around Tim’s body. We also discover that Oliver is bankrupt and may soon be evicted. Also, the podcast gets a sponsor, and the trio begins to suspect another resident ~ Sting, playing himself ~ as the murderer. They meet with Cinda in E4, who advises them on how to confront Sting. Charles has a terrible first date with Jan, but she nevertheless agrees to a second date.

Mable is shadowed by a spooky character in E5, but he turns out to be her old friend Oscar. She hops in a car with him, which causes Oliver and Charles to suspect that something is up, so they follow the car. They all end up in a tattoo parlor in Bayport. In E6, Detective Williams begins to have second thoughts about the case, wondering if it is a murder after all. Teddy (played by Nathan Lane), the podcast’s sponsor, and his son Theo (James Caverly) become suspects in E7. In E8, the trio ends their podcast, with the help of their “superfans,” announcing that Teddy and Theo murdered Tim. Detective Williams, however, isn’t convinced of their guilt. At the end of this ep, Jan is found bleeding on the floor of her apartment.

The trio retracts their accusation of T&T in E9, and Charles helps Jan recover from her stabbing. A building meeting is called, and the residents vote to evict Charles, Oliver, and Mabel due to their notoriety over the podcast. New evidence emerges that Tim had a secret girlfriend, and while Oliver attends one of Jan’s concerts, a surprising item is discovered by Oliver and Mabel among Tim’s stash of sex toys. In E10, we find out who the murderer actually is and our other Season One questions are answered. The season ends with another murder, the trio led out of the building in handcuffs, and a nice set-up for S2.

As of this writing, we do not yet have a confirmed date for Season 2’s premiere, but it is likely to be sometime mid-2022.